Music
Jonathan Ware has been curating vibrant, large-scale outdoor events for over a decade as the founder of WePop.
The company conceptualizes, markets, and delivers a diverse portfolio of music festivals, concerts, and pop-up bars across the UK, with event brands including Summertime Live, Oktoberfest Party, and Après Bar.
Their flagship Summertime Live festival series regularly features Club Ibiza – a 32-piece orchestra playing club classics accompanied by live vocalists – and has also welcomed the likes of Nile Rodgers and Chic, UB40, and The Shapeshifters to the stage this summer.
Jonathan says: “When you can look out from the side of the stage to watch a sea of smiles, it reminds you that this goes beyond just being a business venture.”
As such, Jonathan and the WePop team also operate an events consultancy, offering their expertise to landowners and commercial entities looking to offer experiential activities and drive footfall.
With plans to expand WePop’s house of brands and grow beyond the UK, Jonathan reveals that sweating the small stuff has been key to the company’s success so far.
“It's very easy to assume that the artists on the line-up are the be-all and end-all of a music festival. That may be true for one-off events, but if you want to build customer loyalty you have to invest in the less obvious elements,” he says. “More toilet facilities so there aren't long queues, a better variety of bar and food offerings, interactive features to engage with.
“It's all about the experience.”
